William E. Smith
14th Governor of Wisconsin
In office
January 7, 1878 – January 2, 1882
LieutenantJames M. Bingham
Preceded byHarrison Ludington
Succeeded byJeremiah McLain Rusk
5th State Treasurer of Wisconsin
In office
January 1, 1866 – January 3, 1870
GovernorLucius Fairchild
Preceded bySamuel D. Hastings
Succeeded byHenry Baetz
21st Speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly
In office
January 11, 1871 – January 10, 1872
Preceded byJames M. Bingham
Succeeded byDaniel Hall
Member of the Wisconsin Senate
from the 18th district
In office
January 13, 1864 – January 1866
Preceded byJoel Rich
Succeeded byStoddard Judd
Member of the Wisconsin Senate
from the 22nd district
In office
January 13, 1858 – January 9, 1860
Preceded byS. L. Rose
Succeeded byBenjamin Ferguson
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Dodge 1st district
In office
January 11, 1871 – January 10, 1872
Preceded byE. Adams Fowler
Succeeded byMichael Adams
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Dodge 5th district
In office
January 8, 1851 – January 14, 1852
Preceded byMalcolm Sellers
Succeeded byHorace Patch
Personal details
Born(1824-06-18)June 18, 1824
Inverness, Scotland, UK
DiedFebruary 13, 1883(1883-02-13) (aged 58)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting placeForest Home Cemetery, Milwaukee
Political party
Spouses
  • Mary Booth
  • (m. 1849; died 1903)
Children
  • Ira B. Smith
  • (b. 1852; died 1920)
  • Ida (Hinsdale)
  • (b. 1854; died 1926)
  • Emma J. Smith
  • (b. 1855; died 1876)
  • Grant Alexander Smith
  • (b. 1859; died 1887)
Parents
  • Alexander Smith (father)
  • Sarah (Grant) Smith (mother)
Professionmerchant, politician

William E. Smith (June 18, 1824 – February 13, 1883) was an American merchant and politician who served as the 14th Governor of Wisconsin, the 5th State Treasurer of Wisconsin, and the 21st Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly. He also served four years in the Wisconsin State Senate, representing Dodge County. In business, he was the co-founder of Smith, Roundy & Co., which became the supermarket chain Roundy's.

Early life

Smith was born in Inverness, Scotland, in 1824, the son of Alexander and Sarah (Grant) Smith. He immigrated to the United States with his family as a child, and lived with his family in New York City and Michigan.[1] He attended the common schools before working as a store clerk when he was 17. In 1846 he went to work for Lord & Taylor, and the following year he went to work for a wholesale company. In 1849 he moved to Fox Lake, Wisconsin, to become a partner in a mercantile firm.[2]

Political career

He held several political position in Wisconsin and served two terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly beginning in 1851, including serving as speaker during the second term.[3] Originally a Whig, he helped organize the new Republican Party in 1854. He served two terms in the Wisconsin State Senate from 1858 to 1865. Smith was Wisconsin state treasurer from 1866 to 1870. He was again elected to the State Assembly in 1871.[1] He was a member of the board of regents of normal schools from 1858 to 1876, and director of the state prison from 1874 to 1878.[4]

In 1872, Smith moved to Milwaukee and co-founded the Roundy's supermarket chain.[5] He was elected governor in 1877 and served two terms from 1878 to 1882.[1]

He died on February 13, 1883, in Milwaukee[4] and is interred at Forest Home Cemetery in Milwaukee.[6]

Family life

Smith and his wife Mary Booth were married in Michigan in 1849. They had four children.[7]

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1870)

Wisconsin Assembly, Dodge 1st District Election, 1870[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 8, 1870
Republican William E. Smith 736 56.27%
Democratic Ebenezer B. Jones 572 43.73%
Plurality 164 12.54%
Total votes '1,308' '100.0%'
Republican hold

Wisconsin Governor (1877, 1879)

Wisconsin Gubernatorial Election, 1877[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 6, 1877
Republican William E. Smith 78,759 44.22% -5.85%
Democratic James A. Mallory 70,486 39.57% -10.00%
Greenback Edward P. Allis 26,216 14.72%
Socialist Labor Collin M. Campbell 2,176 1.22%
Scattering 485 0.27%
Plurality 8,273 4.64% +4.15%
Total votes '178,122' '100.0%' +4.73%
Republican hold
Wisconsin Gubernatorial Election, 1879[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 7, 1879
Republican William E. Smith (incumbent) 100,535 53.19% +8.98%
Democratic James Graham Jenkins 75,030 39.70% +0.13%
Greenback Reuben May 12,996 6.88% -7.84%
Scattering 444 0.23%
Plurality 25,505 13.49% +8.85%
Total votes '189,005' '100.0%' +6.11%
Republican hold

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Smith, William E. 1824 - 1883". Retrieved 2012-10-28.
  2. ↑ Legislative Reference Bureau (1960). The Wisconsin Blue Book. Legislative Reference Bureau. p. 124.
  3. ↑ "William E. Smith". Genealogy Trails. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  4. 1 2 Johnson, Rossiter and Brown, John Howard (1904). The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans. Biographical Society. p. 1. William E. Smith married Mary Booth 1849.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ↑ Dexter-Roundy family papers, 1772-1951
  6. ↑ "Historical People". Forest Home Cemetery. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  7. ↑ "On This Day: September 6". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Official directory". The legislative manual of the state of Wisconsin (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. 1871. p. 374. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  9. 1 2 Barish, Lawrence S., ed. (2005). "History Statistics". State of Wisconsin 2005-2006 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 721. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
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